Short Film Review Resources for 12th Grade (Miss Cecilia)

The short film (or “short”) is an interesting genere of cinematography because the directors and actors must create their atmosphere and send their message in a very small amount of time. Long films have more time to develop characters and ideas– in a short film, the effects, the images, the dialogue, the music, etc. are even more important because the producers must select them very carefully to convey the message of the film in the most efficient way possible.

Your job is to evaluate ONE of the short films featured on one of these websites which is 15 minutes long or less. If your film is between 5 and 7 minutes, please watch it twice, because every detail will be very important in a film that is so short.

Then, you will write a review of at least 250 words that follows these suggestions:

1. Take good notes during the film:

-Every time something sticks out to you, whether good or bad.

-Take a note of patterns

-Important scenes

2. In your review explain what the film is about, without going into too many details, or spoiling the ending.

3. Express your opinion about the film, but support that opinion with details.

4. Judge the story—were the actions of the characters believable? Does the plot make sense? Does it flow well or does it feel too slow or fast at times?

5. Rate the actors. Were their portrayals realistic? Was the dialogue authentic or did it feel fake? What could the actors, the director, the screenwriters, or others have done differently to make the film better.

6. Evaluate the technical elements. How do the cinematography, editing, lighting, sound, costumes, soundtrack, and other components make the film better or worse?

7. Come up with a thesis for your review. Try to have a specific conclusion that you will explain with details:

-This film disappoints the fans of the book on many levels.

-The director uses many elements to create the perfect horror atmosphere in this triumph.

– “[Jake] La Motta was an animal, a bull in the ring and a pig outside, and director [Martin] Scorsese is true to both Jakes.”

-“This film took me straight back to high school, in a happy but not uncomplicated way”

“Viewers will feel as though they’ve just finished a great meal but aren’t sure what they’ve been served.”

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